Starting Friday at Birmingham’s Edgbaston, known for its football-style atmosphere, this series will likely be much closer than the one before when Australia – as the host – beat England 4-0 in 2021-22.

The winning margin includes nine runs (first test, Brisbane), 275 runs (second test, Adelaide), one run and 14 runs (third test, Melbourne) and 146 runs (fifth test, Hobart).

England drew on Wednesday’s test in Sydney thanks to their pitchers taking a 270-9 lead in the second half but it was a bad couple of months Down Under, leading to a string of crashes. layoffs in the coaching staff and higher up – and eventually, a change in approach that led to the appointment of McCullum and Stokes respectively.

James Anderson, Britain’s most successful pitcher, thinks it may be coming to an end.

“Both teams are strong in all departments,” the 40-year-old said. “I can’t really split the team.”

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